According to Defense Secretary Mark Esper, some US troops are still in northeastern Syria embedded with Kurdish SDF forces, in sites that are near oilfields. Esper says the US is considering keeping them there, indicating it’s to defend the oil.
This is potentially a difficult look for an enduring US presence in Syria, having ditched the SDF elsewhere in northeast Syria only to leave some troops with them near the oil. It is also problematic with Turkey actively invading the area to expel the SDF.
Esper indicated the need was to keep a largely non-existent ISIS force from trying to reclaim the oil. This too is a difficult talking point, as only the day before officials indicated it was about keeping Syrian forces from controlling Syria’s oil.
President Trump, by contrast, introduced another new excuse for keeping troops in Syria, claiming that Israel and Jordan have both asked him to do so, and even though “I don’t want to leave any troops there,” he seems ready to capitulate to Israel and Jordan on the matter.
There has been no indication from either Israel or Jordan that they had a big problem with the US shift, though Israeli media had been heavily playing up the “betrayal” of the Kurds narrative.
In practice, Trump has always wanted to make his wars about oil, and told reporters again today that troops aren’t necessary “other than to secure the oil.” If nothing else, this removes all doubt that Trump is willing to engage in an open-ended war just for the oil.
Trump admits that Israel is pushing him to stay in Syria. Everyone else pushing him to remain in Syria insists that nooo, it isn’t Israel. AIPAC? Never heard of them.
Assad should give the Kurds a choice: Return the oil or deal with Turkey.
A problem with leaving US troops is they might get attacked… Trump presumably wants to win as defined by others, and he seems to want the US to not lose so much money, but none of this is worth risking US troops.
And I’m still angry that Christians have lost so much in these conflicts. If US foreign policy had one clear goal, it would seem to be to eradicate Christians from the Earth. Whatever the US does, Christians seem to lose.
Seriously? Did you mistakenly type Christians instead of Muslims?
I doubt it was a mistake. Luchorpan is just as much a practitioner of “identity politics” as Jesse Jackson.
Yes, it’s strange when a faux-populist identity politics type announces that the power elites are actually the Very Special Persecuted Victim Class, but that’s how right-wing faux-populism has always approached things, often with political success.
Christians in the US support foreign conflicts. They’re generally fine if fighting Islam. They would not like hearing that Christians are losing in the conflicts.
And I also side with the Christians. And I also like preserving the heritage groups there in general.
I am not in the same category as Jesse Jackson. That’s an overgeneralisation.
“I am not in the same category as Jesse Jackson. That’s an overgeneralisation.”
Not really. And using David Duke instead, while not entirely inaccurate, would have felt mean.
From your perspective, 95% of the world is like Jesse Jackson. Ergo, that means little.
Identity politics is identity politics.
The only thing distinguishing your positions from those of the NAACP, La Raza, etc., is that for some reason you think it’s possible to pass off the power elites as the oppressed masses.
So yes, you’re different from Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton. They’re unconvincing preachers. You’re an unfunny comedian.
You’ve misunderstood me somewhere. Anyway, it doesn’t matter.
It is quite normal for Christians to protest the destruction of Christians, especially the oldest communities.
The “Christians” in the US who drunkenly cheer on US wars have no idea what they destroy. If they had any idea it was the oldest Christians they were helping to destroy, many would give up the warring.
Antiwar publishes countless articles about different groups fighting, often to defend their group from abuse. Why is it so shocking that Christians would find US wars outrageous, because it is Christians who are often the biggest percentage losers of the wars?
It is a wonderful thing to have Assyrians, Armenians, Copts, and whatever a “Melkite” is enduring within Muslim lands. It might not be wonderful to you, but to real Christians, it is a neat and wonderful thing.
The only thing Christianity can’t seem to endure in the MidEast is US intervention.
If you ask Paleos why they’re upset over the destruction of Palestine, some will explain how some Palestinians are Christian. It matters whether you like it or not. Zoroastrians and Marsh Arabs are also neat, to me.
Nope. American Christians tend to support these conflicts, so it’s potent to point out that Christians are indeed losing in them.
Serbia, Iraq, Egypt (the US encouraged the democratic revolution), Syria: Christians are losing.
“And I’m still angry that Christians have lost so much in these
conflicts. If US foreign policy had one clear goal, it would seem to be
to eradicate Christians from the Earth. Whatever the US does, Christians
seem to lose.”
WOW, just WOW….
Our foreign policy has killed millions upon millions of Muslims, destroyed their culture and turned their countries into rubble and you cough up that vile piece of CIA propaganda !!!
Talk about identity politics !!!
I haven’t supported harming Muslims. But no one ever mentions how some of the oldest Christian communities, which have survived everything, are being driven entirely out of the Middle East.
Many supporting the wars are Christian. They don’t even realise whom they harm. Christians have lost the most.
When Ann Coulter offered some rough support for Dubya’s Iraq War, I believe she suggested Iraq should be converted to Christianity. Nothing like that happened. Instead, Christians have been driven out of Iraq.
If Americans realised whom the US has supported and empowered, for example in Kosovo, they’d be outraged. But Americans are kept oblivious, because we lack a free press.
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Similarly, you might appeal to half the Democratic Party by saying gay and female rights have been hindered. Or if births and marriages increased, or abortions decreased, as a result of US intervention, that would be horrible to the Dems who focus on reducing births everywhere.
Each group values different things. Christians value ancient Christian communities. That’s just reality.
“Christians value ancient Christian communities. That’s just reality.”
The available evidence says it’s fantasy, not reality.
If they knew of their existence, they’d care. If the Pope were Catholic, he’d care.
Just refer to the second Gulf war under the command of George Bush Jn.. Under his own word” A holy Crusade against Muslims”, even though U.S. forces went in with personnel of different religious backgrounds. What a stupid statement it was. Who the he’ll would support this? The supporting coalition partners alongside U.S. forces were nonetheless wiser to participate. The rest of the world were in shock and disbelief of President Bush at the time. Some politicians referring him as a dictator. But still no unilateral action against the invading forces. Neither condemnation nor sanctions against this U.S. coalition act. Why? A reprisal from the U.S. government? How weak and helpless could the rest of the world be? What did this regime change achieve in the end? A divided Iraq. Now we have a divided Syria with the footprints of the U.S. military. Now Turkey wants a piece of the action. Any tenders for the establishment of a George Bush Jnr. themed amusement park in Iraq?
Bush Jr. also claimed we all worship the same God, which is heresy. We do not.
Christians have not benefited from any recent interventions: Serbia, Egypt (US was involved), Syria, Iraq.
I believe George Bush Jnr. is as bad as Ronald Reagan. They both want to rule the world, create suffering, poverty at the expense of the innocent.
Reagan exited after the 1983 Beirut barracks bombing, at least. One poster here likes to remind how Dem Congress tends to vote better on foreign policy, but I don’t see Dems as much different. Trump has the potential to return the GOP to how it was pre-9/11 or to how it was under Coolidge. (Republicans were critical of foreign policy.) It’s possible with either party.
Republicans practice more dual morality (foreigners matter less than Americans, rules apply differently to foreigners, American intervention is always benevolent), but Dems tend to be more international, wanting to get involved everywhere. So, both parties can be bad.
But a popular Republican argument is that past wars, like Vietnam, were begun by Democrats, only continued by Republicans. The argument is that starting the wars is worse than continuing them.
Wilson is a good President to be angry at. It’s difficult to find a really good historical President on foreign policy.
Have you seen the movie”Stargate SG1″? It says a lot about how U.S. forces treat other people’s God.
I’ve seen most of the related movies and tv series. I’m not sure specifically what you’re referring to, but I do hate how the US intervenes.
During the Cold War, the US seemed to encourage religious groups to oppose secular Socialists in Muslim lands. I’ve read some Christian conservatives argue that it’s better that Muslims be religious than secular, and I agree. (The same conservatives would, as an ideal, want everyone to become Christian, however.) Nevertheless, I don’t like how the US has intervened. The US should allow others to determine their own destinies. Furthermore, the religious groups that are willing to fight tend to be extremists. You also have foreign nationalists who fight, who can be less radical.
More recently, the US population is encouraged to hate Muslims, in order to support the military operations. I think in war, generally, soldiers are encouraged to view their opponents as bad. That seems especially true in modern war.
It was just an impression I feel but don’t know if it’s real in actual reality. In Stargate, the U.S. forces remove the high energy powered device which gives the mortal figure an almighty existence. In other words, the device turns a human into a God-like figure with unbelievable powers. At the end of the film, this device was switched off and taken away by U.S. forces. Make sense now?
Yes, ty. That’s probably especially true of America’s use of drones. Pilots of drones probably feel like they’re in a video game – no risk of repercussions.
Ah, Luchorpan has now revealed himself finally – he’s a Christian Zionist masquerading as some sort of antiwar type. This explains his posts here. Unbelievable.
Where do you get Zionist from my post? Absurd.
USA goes into Serbia —> sides with Muslims over Christians.
Israel (and apparently richard?) side with the Albanians. Yet somehow I’m a Zionist for standing opposite?
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USA goes into Iraq –> Christians are driven out with the removal of Saddam. Israel wanted Saddam’s removal.
Yet somehow I’m a Zionist for standing opposite Israel again?
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USA goes into Syria –> Christians are killed by both Sunni radicals and Kurds (Kurds apparently disarmed them).
Israel sided against the Christians again here also.
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Where in any of that do you get Zionist?
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If you talked with people outside of whatever ideological group you hide in, you’d meet Christians who value ancient Christian communities. One of Assad’s generals is Christian.
The view here seems to be that “normal people” are atomized individualist anarchists. Most of the world is not like this.
One more time:
“I always said if you’re going in, keep the oil,” Mr. Trump said at a cabinet meeting Monday. “We’ll work something out with the Kurds so that they have some money, so that they have some cash flow. Maybe we’ll get one of our big oil companies to go in and do it properly.”
……Because I deserve to live a lavish lifestyle and will impoverish anyone it takes to preserve my entitled status and overcompensation for producing nothing and skimming off the top of everyone elses hard work and good ideas.
That was Trumps internal dialogue in my best estimation.
The problem is we have about 2,500 other assholes way worse than he is that he’s trying to impress.
Among the assholes to impress is Qatar, where air-conditioning the outdoors is now routine… not joking!
I’m waiting for the Trumpsters to chime in and say that he’s really a libertarian peacenik who’s just misunderstood…
Or just completely ignore it. They only seem to come out in full force when he blurts out something about ending the endless wars while simultaneously sending troops to Iran and promising annihilation.
So, someone bursts into your house, tears the place apart, kills your wife and kids, and then has the audacity to claim that he’ll be staying around to “defend” the silverware drawer. Is there anything like international law these days, or is it the law of the jungle from here on out?
The Anglo-Zionist Empire is in its death throes. It’s a joke to say they control the situation on the ground in Syria, but that’s what makes them so dangerous. Trump is already talking word salad about attacking Iran “like they’ve never been hit before.” Netanyahu is just a few weeks from prison. Never underestimate the resourcefulness of a cornered rat.
You’re absolutely right, Thomas Carlson, Your analogy of US troops invading Syria to home invaders tearing the home apart, killing the homeowner’s wife and kids, and then having the audacity to claim they’ll be staying around to “defend” the silverware door is what it is.
Yes, the Anglo-Zionist Empire’s in its death throes .. It’s a joke to say they control the situation on the ground in Syria, but that’s exactly what makes them so dangerous. DJT’s merely bluffing about attacking Iran, just as he was about attacking N Korea 3 years ago. Instead, he’s been negotiating with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani behind the scenes for some time now .. And he’s already dumped Israel’s most corrupt PM ever. If the Zionist Entity’s really considering attacking Iran, it’ll be doing it alone. Israel has NO allies, only vassals.
… Actually that could happen in a SWAT visit.
The 300 or so US soldiers in Syria watching the oil wells will be thrown out by Syrian government soon….
Actually I’m wondering if the Kurdish SDF just won’t let them leave and no-one will admit it.
U.S. troops are very convenient human shields.
Go home!!!!! Many US soldiers are uneducated, have a criminal and violent background, are brainwashed to believe that they are indispensable and superior to others.
All around the world they rape, steal and kill…..free of charge.
They always leave their bases without cleaning up their waste.
The world is sick and tired of the US forces in their country……except the brainwashed who believe they are being run over by the commies.
Maybe US cities should try having foreign bases, with soldiers that act like US soldiers.
Go read this absolutely lunatic ranting at the Monday Cabinet meeting. It’s incredible. This guy absolutely is some sort of psychiatric basket-case. It’s literally unbelievable the bizarre claims and ranting this guy does in an official meeting.
Remarks by President Trump in Cabinet Meeting
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/remarks-president-trump-cabinet-meeting-15/
The US is a regime of lawless gangsters.